Destination Love

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’”
Luke 2:15

It’s been quite a journey, but then the journey of life is quite an adventure isn’t it. We have traveled with Mary as she overcame fear to find hope knowing that God planned to use her ordinary life to carry out his extraordinary plan. We followed her as she walked from her home to the Judean hill country to see Elizabeth and gain peace as all Gabriel had spoken to her is confirmed. We witness what must have bought great joy to her as Joseph in his God given righteousness still takes her as his wife, because he loved God and he loved her.

Together they have journeyed to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. When they arrived at their destination they found the town filled with people and there is no room for them. Imagine what it would be like in our modern world to turn up at a hospital to have a baby only to be turned away because they were full. What must it have been like for them not having a comfortable place to have their baby in? One person gave them the only space left, a place among the animals. Perhaps it was a bit smelly, but it was warm and dry. There was a comfortable place to lay their new son. It was a good destination for love to truly enter into the world.

As Jesus is being born, God has sent another messenger to our planet, to share good news of great joy with a bunch of shepherds. As soon as the angel choir disappears these shepherds who in a matter of moments have traveled from fear to hope to peace to joy set out to see this child, to reach their destination of love.

The shepherds would share the news with all who would listen and return to their work, praising God for all they had seen, realizing their lives would never be the same because Love had chosen them and had made its destination their hearts.

Jesus’ journey would take many turns; detours even as He traveled to the destination love would lead Him to - the cross.

Fear becomes hope. Hope leads to peace. Hope and peace are great traveling companions and with them we find joy. But our destination is the most important, our destination is love - the love we can only find in Jesus.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the greatest gift we can ever hope to receive - the love of your Son. A love that allows us to live without fear, filled with hope, peace and joy. A love that changes cold, hard hearts to ones that beat for you. A love that restores our relationship with You and fills us to overflowing. Show us the people around who need to make the journey to Your heart and help us journey with them. In the name of Jesus, who is our destination love – Amen.

Next Stop Joy

“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”
Matthew 1:20-21 & 24

When we last saw Mary she was in the Judean hill country visiting Elizabeth. Elizabeth had confirmed that what the angel had told Mary had indeed taken place. Now Elizabeth had given birth to John and it was time for Mary to head home. Three months had passed and Mary knew that there would be questions, hard questions when she got there.

Everything the angel had said had been true. Elizabeth had her son John in her old age. Mary was now carrying God’s Son in her womb. She had, had peace while with Mary - they understood what it meant to have God work in their lives in impossible ways. I think Mary made the trip home confident that God would protect His child but would she have to have this child alone was a real question. The Scriptures don’t tell us much about Mary’s arrival back home. We don’t know how her parents responded or how her friends reacted to the changes taking place. We do know about Joseph though. Can you imagine how he must have felt? He knew there was no way the child was his. Could he really believe Mary had been unfaithful? Scriptures tell us he was a righteous man and planned to divorce her quietly so has not to publically disgrace her.

Then Joseph also received a visit from an angel who tells him “don’t be afraid of me or of taking Mary as your wife.” The angel would confirm Mary’s story of how the child in her womb came to be. With that visit Joseph got his own dose of peace, so he got up and went to see Mary.

Can you imagine the joy? The man Mary loved - believed her, still loved her and still wanted her as his wife. Oh the joy to know that she would not have to continue this journey alone - Joseph would be by her side and the joy of knowing that God was taking care of things so that His Son would have a good family.

No matter what you are facing - if the Lord has brought you hope, peace won’t be far behind and joy is there around the next bend. You see joy doesn’t depend on your circumstances it’s another of the amazing gifts God has for you and I.

Hope and peace are great traveling companions. Next stop joy!

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the many amazing gifts you have for us. Thank you for hope and peace. Thank you for the joy comes along on the journey with us even during the difficult bits. May the joy that you give us shine brightly into the world around us and may it draw others to You. In the name of Jesus, who gives us joy – Amen.

Road Sign - Peace Ahead

“But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”

Luke 1:43-45

Last time began a journey; following Mary on her way to all that the Lord had for her. The trip started with a bit of fear, but hope pushed the fear away. Have you ever been in a place where you are feeling hopeful but then doubt starts to creep in? The next step isn’t clear, you worry that you will be the right turn off or that whatever brought you hope to start with might not be true. I know I do and so like Mary I look for road signs.

As reassurance that all he had said to come to pass Gabriel had told Mary that her relative Elizabeth was having a baby in her old age in answer to her own earnest prayers. In a way Gabriel was telling Mary - look for the road sign that say peace ahead. After her chat with the angel Mary got ready and headed for the hill country to see Elizabeth. It turns out that Elizabeth’s response to Mary’s “Hello, Elizabeth I’ve come to visit” is the road sign Gabriel had spoken about. That where we join this leg of Mary’s journey.

Keep in mind, there is nothing in the Scriptures to indicate that anyone else knew about Gabriel’s visit to Mary or that she had been chosen to carry God’s Son. What reason did she give her family for wanting and needing to go and visit Elizabeth? Whatever she said, she left quickly and upon arrival was met with confirmation of what the angel had said. Elizabeth was indeed pregnant in her old age and with a special child as well. A child already filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother’s womb. Elizabeth’s response confirms that Mary is already pregnant with the Son of the Most High. I can imagine the peace she must have felt as she understood she hadn’t dreamt the angel encounter - it was all true and that by going to Elizabeth she hadn’t missed the road sign the angel told her to look for.

Have you ever been in a place where finally you are feeling hopeful and hope filled only to have doubt try to creep in, bring fear along with it? Keep an eye out for the road sign that says peace ahead. It might be a word in the Scripture that chases the fear and doubt out replacing it with peace. More than likely it will be someone or something that confirms the reason for hope and upon that build up peace.

We have hope and the journey is leading to peace. Be watching for the road sign - Peace ahead.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for understanding that even though we have hope, we often begin to have doubts. Thank you for putting road signs in our life that will encourage us, confirm for us that we are on the right road and lead us to a place of peace in the journey. Show us how we can be a road sign of peace ahead to those around us who are in danger of losing hope. In the name of Jesus, The road sign for peace ahead – Amen.

A Journey Begins from Fear to Hope

“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you’. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered.”
Luke 1:28-30; 36-38a

An ordinary girl in an ordinary town on an ordinary day so long ago would begin an extraordinary journey to an extraordinary life. The journey begins with an extraordinary visitor with a strange greeting that caused some fear. She didn’t shy away though, she listened to every amazing word that her visitor spoke, she asked reasonable questions when it was appropriate. When the visitor had spoken all he’d come to say, she said she’d go and do and that all should happen just as the visitor said it should.

The passage for this week is from Luke’s Gospel and is really the very beginning of we call the Christmas story. I always find it amazing that angels always have to say “don’t be afraid” when they are sent to talk with one of us humans. So imagine how Mary must have felt when Gabriel turns up with his odd greeting and his this is what God has planned for your now not so ordinary life words. Having perhaps recovered a bit from the angel’s arrival, I am not so sure the fear had fully subsided as Gabriel began to tell her about God’s plan. You see God’s plan was no small thing in Mary’s world and it could very well have left her completely alone in the world or worse – dead.

But, Gabriel tells Mary something that brings hope into view. Her very old relative Elizabeth was having a child of her own because “nothing is impossible for God”. As Mary’s life changing journey begins she is moved from fear to hope, enough hope that she is able to tell Gabriel that she’ll do it, she’ll carry God’s Son.

Gabriel didn’t tell her that everything would be rosy and perfect. He didn’t assure her that Joseph would accept her and the child. He didn’t tell her about any of the stuff she would have to face in the months and years ahead. He told her simply that something that was impossible had become possible and that no matter what she would be able to count on her God.

Maybe you are facing something scary, something that is leaving you feeling a bit anxious. Maybe you are in a raging life storm and feel like you are going to get swamped by the next wave or knocked out of the boat by the next gust of wind. Whatever it is happening the advent journey begins with fear and moves to hope – because nothing is impossible with God.

Let’s journey together from fear to hope.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for moving us from fear to hope as we journey through this life. Times can be hard and sometimes it can seem like it will be impossible for us to overcome what we are facing. But Gabriel told your servant Mary that nothing is impossible for You. So grant us the faith to believe his words are true and that You are with us making the impossible possible and bring us hope and an extraordinary life. In the name of Jesus, who has made the most important thing possible – Amen.

Thankful For The Rock

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation.
Psalm 18:2

The refrain from an old hymn had been running through my mind since Thanksgiving. Perhaps you will recognize it: On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. There is nothing in particular happening in my life which is perhaps the reason for my brain reminding me that I need to make sure I am standing on the solid Rock always. It could also be that the tune is running about in my brain because several people that I know are dealing with some pretty stressful stuff in their lives and maybe this encouragement will turn up at just the right time.

David’s life was full up ups and downs. The ups were amazing like defeating Goliath when no one else had the courage to even try or being anointed as the second king of Israel. What about being considered a man after God’s own heart – that a pretty amazing thing. Unfortunately, the downs David faced were as brutal as the ups were amazing. Imagine someone throwing spears at you or having to act like a crazy person in order to escape an enemy. What about having to be on the run and hiding out in caves? The passage above comes from one David’s psalms and is really a song of praise and gratitude. God – his Rock had delivered David from one of the really downer time and the first thing out of David’s mouth are I love you Lord, followed by you are my Rock.

The ups we see in our own lives are different but just as amazing as the ones in David had. While we may not have someone throwing literal spears at us – sometimes is certainly feel like life is chucking spears at us fast than we can duck. Isn’t it great to know that Jesus is our Rock, our Fortress, our Redeemer and that no matter what we are facing we can find refuge in Him. He is that place where we can hide if that’s what we need to do. He is that place where we can find rest for sure. He is that place where our wounded souls can be tended to and made whole again. He gives us an unshakable foundation upon which to stand.

I know some of you are ducking because some serious life spears are being thrown at you. Some of you maybe sinking into the muck and mire that life can sometimes be. Some of you hopefully are singing praises from the mountain top you are standing on at the moment.

Isn’t it great that in Christ Jesus we all have a Rock who is a fortress when we need one and foundation that we can always stand on.

I am thankful for the Rock. How about you?

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for being our Rock, our Fortress, our Redeemer and our Rock solid foundation. May we be thankful always for Jesus who is our cornerstone and capstone holding our lives together no matter what life is throwing at us. Show us how we can invite others to join us on the Rock. In the name of Jesus, our Rock – Amen.

A Restored Soul, Yes! Thank You

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, je leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”
Psalm 23:1-3a

I had been chatting with one of my awesome volunteers and she was telling me about a book she was reading at the time. I don’t remember the title of the book or the author but one of the characters in the early pages was a little boy who was terminally ill and working to memorize Psalm 23. This little boy was trying to understand what “restore my soul” meant. Someone explained it to him, if my memory serves, this way – “that even if the outside can’t be fixed, the Lord can fix the inside.” What a powerful statement!

We need out inside fixed more than anything don’t we. This life can be brutal on our hearts, our minds and our souls. The pace of life, that the world says we should live at is so fast, that we miss the amazing creation we live in, we miss divine appointments and we even miss His voice trying to speak to us. With the pace of life being so fast, when our bodies or our circumstances turn on us it doesn’t take long for hope to start failing or for anger to replace kindness.

If life is less than perfect – and it usually is, the holidays seems to magnify all the bad bits and hide the good bits. That when we need our Shepherd to find us, pull us out of the muck and mire we find ourselves in and lead us back to the place that He has made safe for us. Here in His pasture we find rest, and nourishment. He’ll soothe our emotions and bring healing to our souls so that we will be strengthened for all that we must face on this planet.

See Jesus came to transform us from the inside out - to restore our minds, our hearts and our souls, for those are thing things we need to love Him the way ought. When we love him the way we should we can love others, we can choose to be kind, we can slow down so we have time for those divine appointments and we can hear his voice in the quiet.

Will a restored inside make life in this world any easier – no, He never said it would. It will help us to deal with whatever the world throws at us. It will remind us that the Shepherd is nearby to lead us to rest, to put soothing balm on any wounds and to make us stronger than we can imagine being.

I don’t know what you are facing today. Maybe you are travelling pretty well right now – your soul may still need some restoration though. Maybe life is a raging storm and you are feeling battered and bruised – the Shepherd is out looking for you and when He call for you don’t run from Him, stand still and let Him come and get you. Some rest and restoration will help to keep going until the storm is over.

A restored soul? Yes, please and thank you!

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for being the Shepherd of our lives. Thank you for coming to look for us when we stray or when we’ve been wounded by life. Thank you for restoring our hearts, minds and souls. Once we have rested and received Your healing touch, help us to share Your goodness and faithfulness with those around us who are in need to your inside out transforming work that restores souls and brings rest. In the name of Jesus, who is our Shepherd and restores our souls – Amen.

Thankful for the Son

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Hebrews 1:3

After what seemed like a month’s worth of cold, gray and damp days the sun was finally shining over Kansas. There is nothing like a little sun to help lift people’s spirits and make us thankful for the light and warmth that it brings. Whenever the sun breaks through the gloom of a cold gray day it reminds me of Jesus and that magnifies the effects of the sun shiny day.

I really like how this week’s passage describes Jesus. The Son (that is Jesus) as the radiance of God’s glory. Radiant like the sun only magnified oh I don’t know maybe a million times or a billion times. Back in the Old Testament book of Exodus we can catch a glimpse of just how radiant God is. After talking with God on the mountain, Moses’ face reflected God’s radiant glory. Sort of like a supernatural, but painless Son burn. The first time the people saw Moses with his radiant face they were afraid because they knew that he had talked to God and lived. That first time Moses shared the words of God with the people and then covered his face. Going on from there when the people saw Moses’ radiant face, they knew the he had been talking with God and that no doubt he had a message for them. So imagine how bright God’s glory really is. Just the thought of that makes me thankful, what about you?

During Jesus’ time on this planet I think we catch some glimpse of His radiance – when he is baptized, on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, after His resurrection and perhaps at His ascension. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the radiance of God and an exact representation of God’s all sustaining power.

Was there radiance in his sun kissed face? Was there radiance in his calloused hands? Was there radiance in his dusty feet? What about in his tears or in his sweat in the garden? Was there radiance in His nail scarred hands and feed? Was there radiance in His healing touch or in His words? I think the answer of course is yes. His humanness may have acted like Moses’ veil, but I believe it was there just under the surface beaming out from His heart and just controlled enough so that He could walk and talk with us.

On this particular sunny day, that has chased the gray away I am thankful for the sun and I am so much more thankful for the Son – how about you?

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the sun and thank you for Your Son who shows us your radiant glory and your all sustaining power. Remind us when the sun breaks through the clouds that Jesus came to set us free and purify us from our sin and for that we thank you. As we draw nearer to You help our lives to reflect a bit of His radiance to those around us. In the name of Jesus, who shines with His Father’s glory. – Amen.

Child of God - Be Thankful

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 3:1

There’s a song we’ve been singing in church from Bethel Music, sung by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser called No Longer Slaves. It is really a song of freedom and thankfulness. The chorus says simply “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” I think sometimes we fail to fully comprehend the depth of what it means to be a child of God. So why child of God should we be thankful?

This week verse starts us off – we should be thankful because of the great love our Father God has lavished on us. Seriously the Creator of the universe loves us more than we can even fathom with our mere human minds and hearts. He lavishes us with love through the beautiful world we live in. Consider the lilies of the field, the birds of the air and all of the amazing creatures we share this planet with – there for His pleasure and ours, there to show us glimpses of God’s character.

We should be thankful that He was willing to take on the form of us, to be born into the world the way we are so that He could understand what we face and why we fall and at times choose slavery to things that keep us from really knowing Him. We should be thankful because His death for our sins and his resurrection breaks every chains for those who decide to believe and follow after Him.

We should be thankful because His lavish love drives out fear, moves mountains, splits seas and holds us tightly when we have no choice but to face the storms of life. We should be thankful because He has rescued us from sin and death and calls us into His kingdom, granting us dual citizenship to wherever we live on this planet and the His Kingdom, until the time we see him face to face and enter fully into the King of God. We should be thankful that He calls us son and daughter, and that we have not only the responsibility of being part of His royal family but also all the privileges.

We should be thankful, because He will never leave us, even when we try to leave Him. We should be thankful because when He looks at us He sees us for who we really are and still lavishes His love on us. We should be thankful because when He looks at us He sees the reflection of Jesus and sees who we are becoming and He is pleased.

So who are you? You are a child of God – be thankful.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the love You so lavishly pour out on us. Love that allows us to become Your child, members of Your family and citizens of Your Kingdom. Love that drives out fear, moves obstacles out of our way and holds us tightly in the midst of life’s many storms. May that lavish love pour out of our lives and into the lives of those around us, that they too can call you Father and be a child of God. In the name of Jesus, who made the way for us to be called sons and daughters. – Amen.

Victory Not Defeat

“You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. Those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy.”
Psalm 65:5-8

I have been struggling with a phrase that we’ve been using a lot lately, at work and everyday life. The phrase is “It is what it is.” Don’t get me wrong there are times when something is indeed “it is what it is” but sometimes it’s just a phrase to say something nice instead of what you are really thinking - do you know what I mean? Anyway, I’ve been struggling with it and praying about it. That’s when that still small voice whispered that we needed to stop accepting defeat and claim the victory that as followers of Christ we know we have.

About the time when I got the message that we shouldn’t just be saying “it is what it is” when we are frustrated, disappointed or even angry – I happened upon the videos of Heather Land – I Ain’t Doin It. Each of Heather’s short videos are hilarious, truthful and end with the statement “I ain’t doin it.” For a while anytime someone said “it is what it is” I would respond with “I ain’t doin it”. But that was only partly overriding the defeating words of the other phrase. Ok – I know I’m rambling – but you know I try to be real with these – so the struggle is real my friends. Then the phrase that really does override the - it stinks and there’s nothing we can do about it, feeling the defeat of “it is what it is” popped into my head. What’s the magic phrase that speaks of victory not defeat? “My God can move mountains.” Yep – He can and he can still the wind and the waves and my weary soul and your weary soul too.

According to the Psalm of Dave that I took the above passage from, He hears us and responds with awesome deeds of righteousness. He is God our Savior, He is hope, He made the mountains and by His strength He can move them or help us to move them. He is the One who puts joyful songs on our mouths, even in the midst of life’s many storms.

Life is still going to be hard – a bad report from the doctor, difficult people in our lives, projects that turnout to be more difficult than we thought – in all of this and so much more, we do not have walk in discouragement. Because our God can move mountains - we can walk in victory not defeat.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for putting humor in our lives, especially in the midst of storms. Thank you for how You choose to respond to us with mercy, grace, love and strength. Thank you for the victory we have in You. Thank you for moving the mountains that need to be moved or for giving us the strength to climb over it or journey through the valley. Help to remember in those moments when “it is what it is” is on our hearts and expressed in word – that we should follow it with “my God can move mountains” so that we live in victory not defeat. In the name of Jesus, who has made us victorious – Amen.

Get Your Hands Up

“Therefore. I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-3

Some of you know that once upon a time when I was younger, I spent ten years working at a Department of Energy research facility as a security contractor. Federal arrest authority, special response team training, pursuit driving, proficient with multiple weapons and fully prepared to do whatever might be needed in order to protect the facility, the people and the research. We were trained to yell “GET YOUR HAND UP!” as we confronted a subject. If their hands went up and they complied with our next instructions, we would take it as a sign of surrender with the understanding the arrest would likely happen without further incident. Around the world police shout for subjects to get their hands up, to surrender to their authority. I was thinking about this as I started reading Romans chapter 12.

Paul writing to the followers of Christ in Rome opens chapter 12 in some ways with “Get Your Hands Up” statement. Calling on the audience of his time and to us today to offer our bodies as living sacrifices – to surrender our lives in a way that is holy and pleasing to God. In my opinion this is not a once and done sort of call, this is a daily call on our lives as believers.

Every day we need to lay down our lives, our sense of what’s right and not right and allow our minds to be made new. To allow our minds, our hearts, our eyes, our ears to see and hear the world and respond to it according to God’s standard of right and wrong, God’s expectation of worship, God’s standard of mercy and grace.

We need to renew our sacrifice, our act of surrender daily cause let’s face it sometimes the world and its trappings look pretty inviting. But the strains of the old song “This world is not my home I’m just a passing through” ring true for those who have surrendered their lives for the new life offered by Jesus.

How do we do that, how do we get our hands up and lay our lives down? There are lots of ways and they all work together. Read God’s Word and take it to heart. Listen to music that speaks of His goodness, power and love. Treat people well, even when they are mean to you. Show mercy and grace as opportunities arise. Pray, pray, pray that the Holy Spirit will give you direct and guide every step you make. Allow God to give you an attitude adjustment when you need it and to prune you so you can grow and bear more fruit. Finally, share all the amazing things God has done for you with those around you so that He will be glorified and they might decide to follow Jesus.

A Prayer
Father – forgive your people when we choose to live like we have surrendered to this world. Remind us of the grace and mercy You showed us when we first believed and decided to follow Jesus. Help us Lord, every day to get our hand up and lay our lives down as living sacrifices. May we serve you with humble and overflowing hearts and with minds that have been made new. In the name of Jesus, who laid down His life so that we could truly live – Amen.

Who Are We to Please?

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10

You no doubt have heard said, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” There seems to be some question as to who is responsible for this particular saying or whether it is an adaptation from another similar quote that uses the word “fool” instead of “please”. Regardless of their origin these words ring of truth. In my line of work – this can really be a tough issue. I’d had a conversation with someone who what complaining in a way that we (referring to myself and the others that I work with) – couldn’t please everyone. Something to which I heartily agree. I asked the person I was speaking to this question – knowing the answer I was hoping to hear – If we can’t please all of the people, who are we supposed to please? That person didn’t have an answer and that made my heart hurt.

You see as followers of Christ; our first priority should be to please God. That is the point Paul is trying to make in the passage above. Let’s back up and get this into some perspective. Paul had written to the church in Galatia in order to address some issues the church was having with false teachers. Paul opens his letter with one of his wonderful greetings but then gets right down to giving this group of believers the what for about their behavior. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is not gospel...” (Galatian 1:6-7). Paul goes so far as to say that those responsible for interfering with the gospel of Jesus should be eternally condemned for trying to tell the gentile believers that they needed to follow Jewish law in order to really be saved. No doubt Paul’s comments didn’t win him any popularity contests, except perhaps by the few who had recognized what was going on and hadn’t fallen for it.

Paul is essentially saying in the passage above that all Christians and especially those who have been called into leadership positions by God need to focus on pleasing God, not men. That was the answer I was looking for when I asked who are we supposed to please.

If as followers of Christ, people who call ourselves by His name, we chose to please God first - with our whole lives what would that look like? Would our judgmental attitudes fade away? Would our desire to be pleased and to have things “our” way change? Would our gathering together as the people of God be less about how we think that should look or sound and more about getting to God’s heart and having God’s heart? Would we balance truth and grace instead of being all truth or all grace in our dealing with our follow believers and the non-believers in our lives?

We can try to please some of the people all of the time or all of the people some of the time knowing full well we will never make everyone happy and that trying to will break our own spirits or we can make the daily choice to please God first and watch as He takes us and those around us on an amazing journey into His heart as He changes ours.

A Prayer
Father – we can be so hard headed and stiff necked sometimes, forgive us for seeking to please ourselves and others before we think to please you. Show us Lord how to please you in our everyday lives. Lord give those You have called to lead on your behalf to have hearts that desire to please you before they please the people You have given them to shepherd. Be the strength, courage and wisdom all of us need to stand against those who want things their way instead of Your way. Thank you for who YOU are, draw us to you. Thank you that Your Son modeled pleasing You over pleasing Himself and by so doing made a way for all who believe to be restored. In the name of Jesus, who showed us how to please the Father – Amen.

Drama, Drama, Drama

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”
Luke 10:38-42

I really don’t like drama. Wait, no that really isn’t a true statement. I do like drama in a good book, on television, at the movies or on the stage. What I really don’t care for is, the drama that at times seems to be a constant in all of our lives, either because of our own choices, the acts of others or just because life is just that way – full of drama, drama, drama. That kind of drama brings on anxiety and stress; it can distract us from the things that are really real in our lives – especially as followers of Jesus. As I was lamenting to the Lord over a number of dramas currently playing out in my life and the lives of people around me, I couldn’t help but think of Martha and Mary.

Jesus and the guys had stopped in as they were passing through town. Martha set about creating a wonderful meal for the guests. Mary, sat at Jesus’ feet hanging on every word He spoke. Giving Him her full attention – Mary’s choice was an act of worship, she wasn’t about to let anything distract her from what the Lord was saying to her and the others sitting there. Martha

Now understand, Martha hadn’t made a bad decision in wanting to show hospitality to her guests, done will the spirit of generosity the preparation of the meal was also an act of worship. Her hospitality turned into a drama when she allowed it to distract her for an even better choice to be part of the what was really real in her home. Jesus was there, He was Lord, Messiah, the Creator of the universe become like one of His creatures – He was there in her home, speaking life changing truth into those who were listening. Her hospitality was getting in the way of the opportunity she had to just sit and chat with the Lord.

I have no doubt that Martha prepared a wonderful meal that day, but I also think that Jesus would have been just has happy to enjoy a simple meal of bread, cheese and wine, especially if it had resulted in no drama and both sisters sitting, listening, talking and learning about what it means to look like Jesus.

So what drama is distracting you from totally surrendered worship, from sitting at the feet of Jesus – learning to look and live like him. Maybe it’s just everyday life, maybe you are so caught up in serving, that you have forgotten who you are serving for. Maybe there are things in your life that in and of themselves aren’t bad thing, but because you have allowed them to take priority, that now that are turning into idols and keeping you from the One who is really, real.

Whatever is causing the dramatic distractions in your life – take a step back, surrender that worry and stress and just sit. Sit and listen to the voice of the One who know you more and loves you better than anyone else. Listen for the life changing truth He wants to speak into your heart. Breathe in the peace that He gives and find rest from all the drama, drama, drama.

A Prayer
Father – sometimes our lives get so filled with drama, that we are distracted from that One thing that is needed. The need to sit, be still and know that You are God. Listen to the life changing, image transforming truth that He has for each of us. Help to know when things have become more than just things, when serving had become an obligation rather than an act of worship for the One who taught how to serve. Forgive us Lord, replace the drama with your peace. In the name of Jesus, who is the One that is needed – Amen.

Spears and Grace

“Here us the king’s spear,’ David answered. ‘Let one of your young men come over and get it. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.’ Then Saul said to David, ‘may you be blessed, my son David; you will do great things and surely triumph.’ So David went on his way, and Saul Returned home.”
1 Samuel 26:22-25

There are times in life when people in our lives become spear throwers and we find ourselves ducking for cover or wounded. I know what that feels like it take a hit from a spear thrown by someone, who I would not have thought could do such a thing. Spears are whizzing past my head again, whizzing past others and I care for and my heart aches for those who have been wounded. I’ll be honest this sort of behavior irritates me and I have been struggling as old wounds feel like they are being re-opened and because I don’t want anyone to go through the kind of pain I faced at the hand of a spear thrower. It has taken almost two weeks of talking with God about not wanting to be all brimstone and fire in my response to the drama in my world and to find a way to bring encouragement to those under fire. That’s when David came to mind.

King Saul had become a spear thrower and David was his target. Saul had thrown two literal spears at David in an attempt to kill him. Once David has escaped, Saul continues to pursue him. This week’s passage marks the second time that David could have become a spear thrower himself and taken Saul’s life to stop the relentless pursuit and save his own skin. Two times the Lord had delivered Saul into the hands of David and his men. Two times David chose to show grace, to behave in a righteous manner toward Saul. David chose to continue respecting the office of the King, even if perhaps he no longer respected the Saul himself. David chose to act in a manner pleasing to the Lord God, taking the higher road of grace and mercy.

So what do we do, how do we respond when people in our lives become spear throwers? We take our lead from David. Learn to duck and then remember that the person throwing spears is made in the image of God like we are. Remember that they are just sinners in need of grace like we are. When given the opportunity to let fly a spear of our own, don’t. Lay that spear down and let that spear thrower know you are not going to treat them the way they are treating you.

David reminds us that the Lord will reward us for our righteous behavior and our faithfulness.

I pray that no one is throwing spears at you right now but if they are I hope that you will choose grace instead of picking up a spear.

A Prayer
Father – I ask that you would touch the hearts of the spear throwers in our lives. Forgive them Lord for throwing spears out of fear, anger, jealousy or whatever. Teach us to evade the spears that are whizzing past us and help us to respond with grace rather than spears of our own. In the name of Jesus, who show us grace when we are at out worse – Amen.

Crazy Busy

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”
Mark 6:31

It wasn’t until I sat down to write this that I realized how long it had been since I’d written anything, encouraging or otherwise. Two jobs, a major staff led renovation project and life has just had me and others I know crazy busy. Sometimes the pace of life gets like that – at least none of the people I know or work with are being followed around by huge crowds of people in the midst of all the busyness. Jesus and His crew of up and coming leaders, were not only busy to what they were meant to be doing, they also had to contend with large crowds of people who apparently hadn’t read the book Margin by Richard Swenson nor did they recognized that sometime people need to rest when it’s crazy busy.

That’s where we find Jesus and the gang in this week’s passage. In the verses leading up to this passage about getting away to rest, Jesus’ guys had just returned from their first “business trip” they had traveled light but had been really busy. Jesus would have learned during this time that John the Baptist had also been killed by Herod. Jesus and the guys are back together trying to have a little debrief and it would seem that they kept getting interrupted. Have you ever been there – just wanting to have some quiet conversation or alone time, but people are constantly interrupting you? Finally, Jesus is like “Let’s just get out of here and find someplace quiet to have a bite and get some rest.”

Even a little break can recharge our batteries, freshen our perspective and empower us to keep going. I did that recently, after a particularly crazy busy few weeks. I took a day off, got some extra sleep, lounged around in my jammies and then spent a lovely afternoon with a friend, having lunch and then enjoying a beautiful garden - the wonder of God’s creation. Things are still pretty busy but that little bit of rest was important, in keeping things going in the right direction.

Jesus and the guys only got a short boat ride to rest, because by the time they got to where they were going, the crowds were there waiting for them and they have to get back to work – back to being crazy busy.

Are you in a crazy busy place in your life right now? I know it can be exhilarating – working hard, seeing progress happen, seeing lives changed, being driven by adrenaline to get everything done. But even the Son of Man needed a break once in a while. Jesus most often took a break to spend time with His Father. Maybe it’s so crazy busy for you that the idea of taking even an hour off, much less a day or more seem impossible. Maybe it is, but there is time for a minute even in the craziness.

I want to encourage to try this little exercise in the midst of your busy day. Find, a quiet place - just gonna be real here – that place might just need to be the restroom. Close your eyes just for a moment, take of couple of nice deep breaths and remember these words from the Psalmist “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:1).

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for modeling the need for short breaks, quiet times in the midst of days that can be crazy busy. Remind us of the importance of just breathing, having some food, a quiet moment or two. Thank you that in that brief time You can recharge us, strengthen us, refocus us for You good purposes. In the name of Jesus, in whom we find amazing rest and strength – Amen.

The Unchanging Changes Everything

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8

The time and space continuum was disrupted and it changed everything. The infinite creator of the universe and everything in it took on the form of one of His creatures and entered into a world limited by time and understanding. His only purpose in doing so was to change everything. That change continues to this very day.

In this week’s passage from the book of Hebrews is nestled among a series of exhortations as the book comes to a close. Jesus’s arrival into the world disrupted how everything had been done up to that point. Shepherds though considered outcasts by society, were lifted up and honored by getting the first birth announcement in a spectacular way. Jesus as the fulfillment of the law changed how the law should be viewed and followed. No longer what it a strict letter of the law kind of thing rather He focused people on the spirit of the law which at its simplest is to love God and love other. He changed what it looked like to go to the temple, he disrupted what everyone expected when they arrived there. Jesus changed the relationship be Creator and Creature. He changed how leaders where picked. He changed how people on the fringe – the tax collectors and a sinners were related to. Jesus changed hearts with love, compassion and grace. He changed the sacrificial system of the old covenant by laying down His own life for a new and everlasting covenant.

The ripples caused by Jesus’ entrance into the world millennia ago continue – His body on this planet – the people who have surrendered their lives to Him and make up what is collectively called the church – is always changing, growing, seeking to be more like Jesus every day.

Like the people of long ago we get set in our ways, we get comfortable in our skins and in our lives – sometimes we fail to continue to change. Jesus shook things up the entire time he was on the planet – that’s part of the reason the religious leaders of His day didn’t like Him – He was messing with the way things have always been done. Personally, I am glad that Jesus messed with the way things were always done, if he hadn’t I might not have had the opportunity to know Him, to call Him Lord – after all I am a gentile and a woman. But Jesus opened the way for all people who believe in Him, who have allowed Him to heal their souls and take away their sins to approach the very throne of God, as a child of the King.

I know change is hard, it means leaving things behind that are comfortable and seem safe. But that comfort and sense of security stunts the growth of our faith. It diminishes our need to rely on God to be with us always, being our strength when we are weak, our rest when we are weary, our comfort when we are overwhelmed with pain, our peace in the midst of life’s raging storms. We need change.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever – His sameness changes everything around Him, especially us and that my friends is a reason to worship God with all our hearts, minds and souls.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for being unchanging in who You are. Thank you for changing everything else through the life of Your Son Jesus. Thank you that we do not have to stay stuck in the muck and mire of life. Thank you that above all else You want us to be constantly changing until we fully reflect Jesus. Help us to walk with others that need the amazing changes that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have for them. When it is time for us to change more be with us and send someone to walk with us. May we worship You every day for changing everything. In the name of Jesus, the unchanging One who changes everything – Amen.

We Belong to God

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9

Pat Benatar’s old song We Belong has kind of been rolling around in my head lately. I say kind of because it’s really just a bit of it – mostly part of the chorus has been running through my head. Perhaps you are familiar with it “We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder, we belong together.” Doesn’t that sound like the relationship we should have with God?

In this week’s passage Peter reminds us that we have been chosen, that we are a people who belong to God and that our job is to praise the One who called us into His wonderful light. Personally, I love that I belong to God, it gives me peace to know that I belong in His kingdom especially during times when I might feel like I don’t belong anywhere else. Do you ever feel like you don’t belong, that you are alone and maybe wandering in the dark?

Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension makes the way clear for us to belong to God, when we acknowledge the sin sickness of our souls and our need for the saving grace offered to us by Jesus. Once the decision has been made to turn from our worldly ways in favor of Kingdom living – God’s wonderful promises surround us, supporting us even in the midst of some of the terrible storms that life on this planet throws at us. In the opening verses of John’s Gospel, John tells us that Jesus who is God had brought His light into the world and it is a light so bright, so pure and so powerful that the growing darkness of this world will not snuff it out. So when dark situations descend on our lives, as we stand on His promises and rely on Him – His light will prevail bringing us peace, comfort and a profound sense of belonging.

With this sense of belonging comes purpose and responsibility. Peter says we are members of a royal priesthood, that means we are called to care for one another and for those around us who are on the fringe of the community – people who need a place to belong.

All of this leads us to a place where the praise of God, His light, His Kingdom and His saving grace should just flow freely from the very center of who we are and who we are becoming.

I belong to the light, I belong to the thunder, I belong to God. Do you belong to God? Let him choose you so we can belong to God together.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for sending Your Son into the world as the Light of the world. Thank you that His life, death, resurrection and ascension opens the way for us to belong to You. Show us the places in our lives that need to be healed of sin sickness. Healed may we be counted worthy to be part of Your royal priesthood. Help us to love one another and the people around us the same way You have loved us. May our praises for you ever be on our lips. In the name of Jesus, who paid the price so we can belong to God – Amen.

Another Life

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20

I do not hide the fact that I enjoy playing computer games. Generally speaking, I prefer Hidden Object games – because of the art, the story, the music and the exercise they give my brain. But there isn’t always time to play that sort of game so I frequently play Match 3 games on Facebook. I like these because they can be played fairly quickly and usually I have a friend or two playing as well. These games can be played quickly in part because you have a limited amount of “lives” to play with. Once you have used up the standard five lives, you either have to wait for them to recharge or you can ask friends to give you one. As I was playing one of these games it reminded me of a Bible verse – well because it just works that way in my head.

In Genesis God created man and woman and all the other creatures. That first man and woman were meant to live eternally in pure relationship with God. The world that God had created was peaceful and perfect. Then a talking snake convinced the woman that she could be like God – that was all it took for selfishness to enter the world. The one incredible life in the amazing world that God had made was destroyed. The snake said they wouldn’t die – but he didn’t specify what that meant. No they didn’t die physically. They died spiritually and relationally. In making that one selfish choice the whole world was thrown into chaos – it was no longer peaceful and perfect.

A bit later God made His first attempt at restoring His creation – destroy it all except one family and a ship load of animals. It helped but unfortunately that seed of selfishness was even in the hearts of that one saved family. Plan A didn’t work. It would take generations for Plan B to be set in motion and there will be no Plan C.

Between Plan A and Plan B many lives would be lost, some came to violent ends, some lived to be very old. One prophet got a go directly to paradise card and skipped the whole dying part. Plan B presented mankind with an option to get a new life and a restored relationship with the Creator of everything. A life that can have peace in the midst of the chaos, a life that can live eternally in relationship with God. That new life, given as a gift that we can each chose to accept or deny. That is what Paul is talking about in this week’s passage.

Christ died that we might live. When we accept by faith the gift of new life that the crucified and resurrected Christ offers, we grant permission for Him to remove from our hearts and souls those seeds of selfishness that separate us from God. We get another life even as we continue to live in the bodies we have. It’s a new, eternal life where Christ lives in us and we live in Him.

If you are a follower of Jesus and still struggle with selfishness that is keeping you from abundant kingdom living here and now – let His Spirit work in you in new way, surrender those areas of your life you are still holding onto. If you are not a follower of Jesus and weighed down by the choices you have made in your life – call out to Him, ask Him to make Himself known to you in a way that your faith will explode and He’ll give you another life – one that will never run out and will give you the strength you need to be an overcomer.

Computer games are fun but they can’t change your life. Following Jesus is amazing because He’ll give you another life – one that won’t end.

A Prayer
Father – help us to live the words of your servant Paul, to say with assurance We have been crucified with Christ, we no longer live our selfish lives but that Christ lives in us. Thank you for giving us another life, one that takes us back to the beginning, back to the way we were supposed to live – eternally in relationship with You. Give us the strength, courage and wisdom to invite others to let Jesus give them another life. In the name of Jesus, who laid down His life so we could truly live another life – Amen.

Live Every Season

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” 
Ecclesiastes 3:1

It is Spring in my neck of the woods as I write this and Summer will soon be here. While on the other side of the planet friends are enjoying Autumn and preparing for Winter. Nature has its seasons and with each change so changes the landscape. Our lives also have seasons. Some of the seasons of our lives are bleak and cold like winter and some exciting and hot like summer. Personally I would prefer to have life seasons that are calm and mild, like spring or fall. However, just as nature has no choice to run each of its seasons, so must we as we journey on this planet.     

The writer of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes in contemplating life tells his audience just that in this week’s verse. He continues with a list of times or seasons we may all at some time face – some good, some not. Some inevitable, some not. Jesus talking about the sheep thief and the Shepherd says that, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10b). How do we go about living abundantly?    

When life is going well and good stuff is happening we all know what abundant living looks like - we share with everyone we know about the amazing stuff happening in our lives and we celebrate those especially exciting seasons – graduations, weddings, milestone anniversaries, the arrival of babies, job promotions, sports victories and more. During these seasons it is also easy to praise the Lord for what He has done, what He has helped us to accomplish.

There are other seasons in life that make us wonder where God and that whole abundant life thing has gone. We forget what having abundant life looks like when the doctor has bad news, that job promotion turns into unemployment, that beautiful baby, becomes a rebellious, runaway teen, someone we love dies, a marriage ends and we can’t seem to win at anything. In our humanness we are inclined to withdraw from life. We don’t want to share what is really happening in our lives so we put on a mask and say we’re fine when really we feel alone and abandoned by everyone including God. But it doesn’t have to be like that. The writer of Ecclesiastes says: “That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him” (Ecclesiastes 3:13-14). The Prophet Habakkuk after talking about a bunch of bad stuff that could happen writes: “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:18).

So here’s the thing - when we find ourselves in an unpleasant season – we still need to live abundantly. We need to share with others what is going on with us, no doubt we’ll discover that we are not alone. We should celebrate, even if that means working through the pain with grace and compassion for others and most importantly we must worship God in the midst of our storm season.    

As I write this, this sky is blue, the sun is shining, temperatures should be mild – that seems to match the life season I am in at this moment. Where are you though? Is life exciting and filled with easy celebrations or does it seem bleak with nothing to celebrate?

I want to encourage you that no matter what kind of season you find yourself in right now live in it. Celebrate the smallest things and worship God with all your heart.

A Prayer
Father – Even though it appears that the writer of Ecclesiastes is pessimistic in his view he does ultimately show us that in You and only You we can find joy and contentment. Help us to live abundantly in every season of our lives. Help us to stand with others who need to see that You sent Your Son to give abundant life to all who will believe. In the name of Jesus, who gives us abundant life in every season – Amen.

Strip Away The Old

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” 
Ephesians 4:22-24

Our church was making some changes, simple updates to some areas and major renovations in others. As work began to get underway the thought occurred to me that in order to make these areas of our church new, there was much old that needed to be stripped away. Our pre-school stripped away bulletin boards and hallway decorations so they could give the walls a totally new look. Bathrooms being renovated needed to be completely stripped bare so that new floors, paint, sinks, toilets and accessories could be installed. Even our sanctuary was being stripped of things that no longer functioned so they could be replaced place by new things.     

Sometimes our lives as believers need to be renovated too and that means there will be stuff that needs to be stripped away. In this week’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesian believers he is reminding them of the need to strip away their old selves so they can put on their new selves. New selves that reflect the image of God.   

That stripping away process will look different for all of us. Some who happen upon this bit of encouragement may have big things that need to be stripped off – so maybe that will mean seeking the help you need to overcome an addiction of some sort or to get a handle on a mental health battle you’ve been dealing with. Others of us may need to do some deep self-reflection so that we can strip off a negative attitude, pride, perfectionism, being judgmental and the list could go on, you get the idea – you probably know already what you really should strip off so that you can put on the new stuff Jesus has for you.   

If you have been reading me for any length of time you’ll know that I speak plainly and try not to sugar coat stuff. This whole stripping stuff away process will be hard and even painful at times. See we get comfortable with our old selves - not unlike how we might feel about a favorite old sweater or t-shirt or jeans – you know the ones that are all stretched out in the right places. I used to have a chambray shirt that I just loved – it was the perfect shade of blue, the longer I had it the softer it got. When a tear started at one of the shoulder seams, I cut the sleeves off so I could keep wearing it. I guess I need to confess I still miss that shirt, but there came a time when it had to go in the bin. So it goes with the stuff in our lives that keep us from being all God intends for us to be.

Just know that as you decide to strip away the old, you are not alone. I’ll be praying for you – even if I don’t know you. There will be people around you to help and you can probably help them – because we all have stuff that needs to go. Best of all Jesus through His Holy Spirit will be there to give you the strength and power you need to get the job done. He’ll be there bringing comfort when you think it is just too hard or too painful or when you are tempted to slip that bit of comfortable old you back on.

The new you will be so incredible you’ll wonder why it took so long to strip away the old.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the words of your servant Paul reminding us that we have been called to strip away our old selves so we can put on the new selves You are calling us to be. Be with us as we work to strip way the stuff that is getting in the of us being who You intend for us to be. Be our strength and comfort in those times when life renovation seems more than we can bear and send others to travel with us so we are not alone ever. Help us to travel with other who need our encouragement and help. In the name of Jesus, the renovator of our lives – Amen.

No More Achy Breaky Heart

“The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:17-18

Billy Ray Cyrus’ hit song with the catchy tune Achy Breaky Heart popped in to my head this particular morning. Which got me to thinking about how the Lord stands ready to heal us when we have achy breaky hearts. My thoughts drifted over the names of people who I know are hurting right now – who have hearts that are just a bit broken.    

I really like King David’s authentic relationship with God – David is real about the struggles he faces, the times when he has fallen and has come to the realization that his selfish behavior has broken the heart of his God. David is so authentic in the way he worships when God has seen him through the struggles, has forgiven him when he has fallen. This week’s passage praises God for being so attentive to those who follow Him. When we as followers of Jesus cry out in the midst of the storms this life is filled with – HE hears us and He walks through the storm with us providing shelter if that is what he deems best. Giving us strength to keep going. Sometimes He stills the wind, but usually he sees us through the storm and binds up our achy breaky hearts when we get through to the other side. David assured his men and his subjects that God would be there for them as long as they were authentic in the way they followed Him. 

I have no way of knowing what you may be facing right now. For me there is a bit of rest from the storms of life right now, allowing strength and energy to be restored for the next round – that I know will come. For some I know there are health issues looming and for others the loss of a loved one has your heart aching. Maybe finances are giving you a hard time or perhaps you are needing to make some kind of life changing decision. It doesn’t matter what you are facing if you are a follower of Jesus, if you have said yes to His gift of mercy and amazing grace – then He is right there with you – even if you can’t feel him. Be like David and cry out to Him. He’s right there close to your achy breaky heart.  

If you have stumbled across this devotion and you are tired of being beaten down by the world around you, if you are tired of looking for that one thing that is missing from your life, if you need encouragement and healing for a heart that has been bruised and battered – then cry out to Jesus. There’s a good chance that he has just be waiting for you to turn and look for Him. I want to be real with you – once Jesus is in your life – it’s not going to turn into a perfect and peaceful garden - but you will no longer be alone in the storm. He’ll be there with you and He’ll send others to join you in the journey, to encourage you and to let you know everything will get better.

David experienced the nearness of God in His life and because of that his achy break heart was healed and strengthened. Jesus will do that for us too – He’ll speak into our lives so that no matter what we’ll be able to keep going with hearts that beat strong because of His love and someday there will be no more achy break hearts.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for being near to our broken hearted lives. May we praise you in the midst of the storm and in times of peaceful quiet. Thank you for Your Son who brings healing to our hearts, souls and minds. Help us to see the other achy breaky hearts around us so we can point them to Jesus. For loving us, redeeming us and staying near to us we thank and praise you. In the name of Jesus, the only One who can heal our achy breaky hearts – Amen.

The Big Reveal

“As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.” 
Luke 24:28-31

My family and I used to really enjoy watching the show Extreme Makeover – Home Edition. Perhaps you have seen it? Basically a deserving family is chosen, the show hosts get to know them a bit and then sends them off on a week’s vacation. Then they get down to work – they tear down the old house, build a new one and furnish it will everything the family needs. The best part of the show? When they bring the family home from vacation and have the big reveal. The looks of amazement as they see the exterior and the building excitement as they are given the tour of their new home and any special features of the home are explained and the attitudes of gratefulness for such an amazing gift. Imagine if the big reveal was something even better than a new home, a new car. Imagine if the big reveal meant a new heart, a restored soul and an eternity with the gift giver.    

We enter this week just as a big reveal takes place. But maybe we should back up a bit, let's back up not seven days but seven miles. It is Sunday, the first day of the week – the women had already discovered the empty tomb. Peter and another of the disciples ran to see that it was empty for themselves and a couple of the others set out on the seven mile walk to Emmaus. As they walked they talked about all that had happened over the past few days and the incredible news of the empty tomb. The women had been told by an angel that Jesus had risen has He said He would, but that was a pretty difficult thing to believe. These two - still grieving, perhaps still fearful and now confused by what may have happened to the body of the one they believed was the Messiah. 

As they walked and talked; a stranger joined them along the way, we don’t know how far along the road they had traveled when their conversation is interrupted by a guy wanting to know what they were talking about. In today’s world the response may have been that “It’s none of your business” or perhaps the stranger we be completely ignored. But the two disciples, although surprised by the question, share that they were discussing the events of the past few days – the death and burial of their friend Jesus and now the reports of the empty tomb and that He might actually be alive. Now if you had just finished pouring out your heart to someone, would you be inclined to listen to them if the first thing out of their mouth was to call you a fool and slow of heart when it comes to believing what you had been taught? Yet these two do and as they continue to walk, this stranger tells them all about Moses, all the prophets and everything that had been written about the Christ.   

Finally, we’ve reached this week’s passage – they’ve gone the distance, listening to the stranger most of the way and they want to continue the conversation so they invite him to stay and eat with them. Now on the television show to signal the start of the big reveal they would shout “Move that bus.” In this week’s passage the big reveal is signaled by the stranger - giving thanks and breaking the bread. The eyes of these disciples’ hearts were opened as Jesus prayed and handed them the bread. They saw Him there – living, breathing, breaking bread with them and then He was gone. What did they do? Despite the fact that it was near dark, if not already dark - they took off to travel the seven miles back to their friends and fellow disciples to confirm what the women had said – “HE IS RISEN! We have seen him, we have talked to him, we have eaten with him.

As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews closes the letter, he encourages his audience not to forget to entertain strangers, for sometimes they are angels. I would suggest the we not forget to do the same because it could be Jesus. He also reminded them that that Jesus promised to be with us always – Why? Because He is not dead, He is alive and well and his Spirit lives in the heart, soul and mind of all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world. Now that is a really big reveal and the truly everlasting Good News.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for revealing yourself to us in so many ways. Thanks for the times when it is a big, awe inspiring reveal. Thanks for the times when it is a small, quiet and reassuring reveal. May our lives reveal who You are to those around us, in big and small ways. Remind us that you are always close to us, help us to care for strangers because we may actually be caring for you when we do. In the name of Jesus, the best Big Reveal ever – Amen.

Where There Is Life, There Is Hope

“The Angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just he said…” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’” 
Matthew 28:5-6 & 8-10

Still reeling from the events of Thursday night and Friday, the friends, followers, disciples of Jesus were hold up together. They were grieving the loss of the one they were so certain was the Messiah. Wondering about what was next. Perhaps feeling like all hope was lost – dead and buried with their friend, teacher, master. Then something amazing happened.    

In the still and quiet of the early morning, some of the women went to the tomb to in some way be closer to Him. Some of the Gospels say the women went to finish taking care of His body properly after the hasty burial on Friday. Whatever the reason that’s where this week’s passage comes into play. As they are arriving in the garden with the tomb, the earth shakes as an angel of the Lord arrives, scaring the you know what out of the Roman soldiers assigned to guard the tomb. After rolling the stone out of the way the angel takes a seat and speaks to the women. The angel first tells them: “Do not be afraid” and then explains that Jesus isn’t there, “remember He told you all that he would rise” and so he has. After hearing the angel and his instruction to go tell the others – they take off in a hurry only to bump into someone as they go.

I wonder what that scene was really like. Were they so afraid and overwhelmed with joy at the same time that they weren’t paying attention to where they were going and almost run Him over? Did they make quick apologies and hope to continue on their way? Then the stranger they had run into spoke and they instantly recognized Him, fell at His feet and worshiped Him. If hope had started building with the words from the angel – seeing Him, hearing Him must of brought that hope roaring back to fullness. Where there is life, there is hope.  

Under the snows of winter, rests the hope of spring. Beyond the storm clouds and waves, lies the hope of calm, smooth sailing. In the midst of the things that bring us despair and hopelessness – sin, selfishness, suffering – there is a living Savior who understands and brings the hope of forgiveness, selflessness and healing. Where there is life there is hope and HE lives! 

No matter what the circumstances of your life are at this moment – listen for His voice, it is filled with life and it carries hope that will see you through till eternity and beyond.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the hope we have because Your Son still lives. In this fallen world it can be so easy for fear, despair and hopelessness to settle into our minds and hearts. Remind us through Your creation and by the gentle voice of your Spirit, that there is hope enough to fill us, no matter what we are facing. Hope enough to drive out fear and despair. Help us to let the hope that we who believe have shine through to those who need a dose of Your hope too. In the name of Jesus, because He lives there is hope – Amen.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

“He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
Luke 22:21-44

There used to be a commercial for deodorant with a tag line that was “never let them see you sweat” the commercial was about being under stress but not letting anyone see it. Do you sweat when you are stressed? Do you cry? Do you hold it all in so no one sees how much you are struggling? We are now in what the Church identifies as Holy Week and in just days we will remember with somberness the day that Jesus died.    

In some ways Thursday was a good day and in other ways it was not. Jesus had shared a good meal with his friends, He had blessed the bread and the wine and called on them to remember Him and the new covenant he was making with the world, that would be sealed with his own body – the time was drawing near for the reason He had come. Jesus also identified his betrayer and told Peter, that he would not stand up to the pressure and would deny even knowing him.

After supper they went out into the country side to a place on the Mount of Olives that Jesus liked to frequent. Jesus wanted to pray, He needed to pray. The human side of him didn’t want to go through with the plan. That’s where we are with this week’s passage from Luke. Matthew and Mark both tell us that Jesus said to them “that my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38, Mark 14:34). Jesus asked His Father to take the cup from him, Mark says He essentially cried “Daddy, daddy everything is possible for you, take this cup from me” (Mark 14:36).  

Each time he prayed, Jesus seemed to be more distressed. In the passage from Luke we read that at some point an angel appears and provides something that strengthens Him, what we don’t know – perhaps the angel carried a message from the Father, that He understood it was hard but that it would be ok. Perhaps the angel’s presence gave him some supernatural strength. Luke tells his readers that even with the visit from an angel, Jesus was still in deep distress, so much so that not only was He sweating, He was sweating blood. Each time he prayed, He told the Father, even so not My will but Yours be done. Yet by the time Judas arrives with the authorities, Jesus seems to be calm and in complete control, enough to control at any rate to heal the high priest’s servant. Enough control to fulfill Isaiah’s words “…he was led like a lamb to slaughter…” (Isaiah 53:7). 

We are the cause of His great distress, we are responsible for the pain He endured. Our judgmental attitudes, our disobedience, our selfishness, our self-reliance, our lack of compassion, our desire to be our own god – these are the things that brought Jesus to the garden, that caused Him such pain. Yet it was His non-judgmental attitude, His obedience, His selflessness, His reliance on His Father, His compassion that allowed Him to pay the cost required of Him, to restore the relationship between God and mankind, to make everyone who believes new creatures, who look like him and will spend eternity with him.

It is His blood, sweat & tears that makes us whole and give us abundant and eternal life    

A Prayer
Father – forgive us for our judgmental attitude, our disobedience, our selfishness, our lack of compassion and our desire to be our own god doing things our own way. Thank you that Your Son, was everything that we are not and that He has shown us a better way. For those of us who believe and have been recipients of Your amazing gift, may our lives reflect Your Son in all we do and say. Give us the strength and the courage to point others to the cross with our actions and words. In the name of Jesus, whose blood, sweat and tears makes us new – Amen.

The Time Has Come

“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 
Matthew 21:4-5

As I was thinking about Palm Sunday which marks Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem, the beginning of the final week of His life on this planet These lines form Lewis Carroll’s poem The Walrus and The Carpenter came to mind “The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things: of shoes & ships and sealing wax of cabbages and kings.” The time has come to talk of the King.   

Both Matthew and John quote the prophet Zechariah as they talk about what we know as the Triumphal Entry. So the time has come to talk of the King. Zechariah speaking to encourage those who had returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile says: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

The crowd certainly helped to fulfill Zechariah’s words. Jesus, riding on the colt of a donkey does indeed, receive a king’s welcome into the city. In Matthew’s Gospel the crowd acknowledges that Jesus is the “Son of David (Matthew 21:9). Mark writes “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David” (Mark 11:10) and John writes “Blessed is the king of Israel (John 12:13). The celebration wouldn’t last, between the people not understanding that Jesus had not come to save them from the Romans – He had come instead to save them from their selves and the fear and jealousy of the Jewish religious leaders it would prove to be a hard week leading up to His death and resurrection. 

Another – The time has come moment presents itself as Jesus stands before Pilate. Matthew, Mark and Luke all share a brief exchange between the two men. Pilate asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews? Jesus replies that he is correct. John however, gives us a bit more of the conversation between these two men (See John18:33-38). After pulling Jesus aside so that they might talk more privately, Pilate asks, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus’ reply is a bit surprising, since until now he has remained mostly silent when spoken to, He responds “Is that your own idea or did some other talk to you about me?” You can almost hear the sarcasm as Pilate says “Am I a Jew? Your own people have handed you over – what have you done?” Jesus takes the time to try to explain and the conversation ends with Pilate asking “What is truth?” 

I often wonder what happened to Pilate later in life. He had gotten to speak to the Son of God, face-to-face, he knew he was sending an innocent man to his death. Pilate aside for watching out for his own interests, played his role in carrying out God’s will. Did his interaction with the King of Kings affect his life later, after he was no longer Governor and responsible for keeping the peace at all cost? Did he and his wife become believers?  

We all have had or will have a – the time has come moment when we will need to talk of the King. If we are on the side of truth, if we desire truth then we will surrender to His Kingship, bowing before Him and then accepting His hand as He lifts us up, made new by His touch.

The time has come my friends to talk of other things: Of forgiveness & compassion, mercy & grace, of light and power, of the cross & the tomb and of the King.    

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for “the time has come” moments you give us. Open our hearts and our eyes to the need around us, to others who need one of those moments with Your Son. Thank you that the truth of who you are and what you have done, makes us new. May we often talk of other things and especially of the King. In the name of Jesus, Our King – Amen.

Boats & Helicopters

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:13-14

You’ve heard me say or you have read it in one of these devotions, that God often uses ordinary, everyday people and things to provide what we need. Gifted doctors bring healing, first responders rescue and protect us. A stranger’s smile can brighten our day. Our pastor shared a story that illustrated how sometimes we miss the miracles around us because we are looking for something extraordinary. The story went something like this. A man is trapped by rising flood waters, so he prays for God to rescue him. Soon a boat arrives to rescue him, but he sends it away saying God would rescue him. The waters continued to rise until the man was on the roof. He prayed again for God to rescue him and along came a helicopter to carry him to safety. The man waved off the helicopter saying God would rescue him. The water continued to rise and the man was washed away. When he arrived in heaven he asked God why he hadn’t rescued him – God’s reply I sent a boat and a helicopter you didn’t accept either of them.   

We live in a dark world, darkened by human selfishness, pride and disobedience. While God often uses ordinary people and things to provide for our needs, only He can bring us out of the darkness of this world. In this week’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers he reminds them that God is responsible for rescuing them from the “dominion of darkness” and for making them subjects of Jesus’ kingdom, who has provided the redemption and forgiveness they needed – that we need.

Here is the thing though – just like the man caught in the flood we have accept God’s rescue attempt. God doesn’t force us to accept his love, mercy, forgiveness – He reaches out His hand and tells us to grab hold of His nail pierced hand and to trust him with our lives - we can choose to knock the hand away or to grab hold for all we are worth.

God is so committed to rescuing us from the darkness that we allow into our world that more than 2000 years ago He put on skin like ours, showed us a better way and then paid the price we could never have paid and can never repay and He stretched out his hands as far as the east is from the west, to rescue anyone who will believe and grab hold. 

Once we have grabbed that offered hand, and surrendered our need for the darkness, we are expected to live like children of the King, living in the kingdom of light. Our lives should be overflowing with gladness and joy – not because life is perfect, but because our King is and He is making us perfect day by day.

He won’t let you go once you have grabbed His hand, because He holds you in His heart. I want to challenge you as we step even closer to the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter that as you hold firmly to His saving grace, that you reach your hand out to someone who needs to be pulled from the darkness of loneliness, soul sickness and rejection and use the power He has bestowed on you to bring them within reach of His hand and heart.    

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the times when you use ordinary people and things to provide for us. There isn’t anything we can say for what you have done to rescue us from the darkness of this world. Help us to show our gratitude in the way we worship you each day with our lives. Show in fresh ways the power Your love gives us and help us to reach out a hand to someone who needs to reach you. In the name of Jesus, who sometimes sends boats and helicopters and sometimes reaches out His own hand. – Amen.

His Mission Is Grace... So Is Ours

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God…”
Ephesians 2:6-8

Jesus liked to hang out with ordinary people and people who were considered outcasts. Scripture shares more than once how he spent time with tax collectors and sinners. Zacchaeus and Matthew are just two examples. Recently, I was reading a blog by Pastor Austin Maxheimer about missional grace. The idea is that we who have been showered with Jesus’ gift of grace should be showering that grace on the people around us, especially the people who are different from us or who might be considered outcast by our communities. Three things Pastor Maxheimer said particularly captured my attention. First he said: “Grace cannot be understood through religion; it has to be understood through relationship.” The next thing in the blog that caught my attention was: “When grace is put to work, it multiplies. When God’s free (emphasis mine) gift is unleased in the life of someone who loves Jesus, it is unstoppable.” Finally, “Grace is a gift. Relationship is the reward.”   

In this week’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul is reminding the readers and hearers of the letter that it because of the incomparable riches of God’s grace poured out of Jesus over all of the people who experienced Him, that we are saved. Yes, Jesus’ grace for us meant he would pay a high personal price, but it was, just that a personal price – it had nothing to do with finances and everything to do with relationship. His was on a mission of grace, a mission to treat us in a way we did not deserved to be treated. His mission was to treat us with dignity, compassion, love and mercy. His mission was to build relationships, to restore the most important relationship between man and God.

Matthew was at work, collecting taxes and probably padding his own pockets when Jesus walked past, paused and said: “Follow me.” Incredibly Matthew left work and followed Jesus and the next thing we know they are at Matthew’s house having dinner (Matthew 9:9-12) and getting to know one another. It cost Jesus time and nothing more at that point to change Matthew’s life.

Jesus and those with him were passing through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus’ superstar status was drawing crowds as usual. Zacchaeus a chief tax collector probably had been pushed to the back of the crowd and because he was short couldn’t see Jesus – so he climbed a tree. Interesting that when Jesus got to the tree, He looked look up, called Zacchaeus by name and essentially said to him “I’m going to hang out with you today” (Luke 19:1-10). It was Jesus’ treatment of the little tax man, His desire to spend some time with him, that changed Zacchaeus and then grace just started pouring out of Zacchaeus. 

Jesus the incarnation of the One True Living God came here on a mission of grace. A grace so powerful it changed lives, it was a grace built on relationship – Jesus’ relationship with the Father and the Father’s desire to restore the relationship between Himself and His creation. The gift of grace that was given to us so freely came at a high personal cost for Jesus – His life. No amount of money could have paid for such a gift.    

I want to encourage you to share the gift of grace you have received with those around you, especially those who are the tax collectors and sinners of today. Give it by spending time with them, listening to their story, sharing their life and treating them with the dignity, compassion, love and mercy that world is not able to give. Watch how grace will change them and you.    

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for Your extravagant gift of grace. Thank you for desiring to know us and to have a relationship with us, even though we are so undeserving. Open our eyes to the people around us who the world and even some who claim to follow you push to the back of the crowd, undeserving of our love and not really welcome in this life. Once we see them with Your eyes, may the abundance of grace that has been given us in Christ Jesus, flow straight from our hearts to those who need to experience Jesus and be made new, be welcomed into relationship with You. You sent Your Son on a mission of Grace and that is the mission he passed on to us – may our actions bring glory to You and You only. In the name of Jesus, missionary of grace – Amen.

It's More Than Money

“Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.”
Matthew 10:9-10

Have you ever noticed that as Jesus prepared those He had chosen to carry His message to the world, that he was constantly warning them of the high personal cost - not the dollars cost, necessarily, but the emotional and physical cost of following him? Jesus had a trade – he was trained as a carpenter and while the Scriptures don’t share, there must have been times when He plied the trade.  

In this week’s passage from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is preparing to send out the twelve men He had handpicked to teach, on their first mission trip. A domestic trip was planned to let these twelve men practice what they had learned so far. Jesus had given them the spiritual power they would need to carry out the tasks they would encounter and then He began the rest of the trip instructions by telling them not to take anything with them. He tells them to forget stopping by the bank to pick up some cash, don’t pack a bag, don’t take anything extra with you. When you get to where you are going, find someone to stay with and make yourselves useful for your room and board. The Message puts this’s week’s passage like this: “Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.” A little further on in verses 17-19 He tells them to expect to be arrested and beaten, verse 22 that they will be hated and verse 23 that they will be persecuted. Of course Jesus encourages them to stand firm and rely fully on the power He has given them to complete the call He has placed on them.

Back in chapter eight Matthew talks of the cost of following Jesus. A teacher if the law comes and tells Jesus: “…I will follow you wherever you go” (Matt. 8:19). “Jesus replied,’ Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20). Then of course there is the rich, young man of Matthew 19 who is unwilling to pay the cost when Jesus tells him that to “… be perfect he should go sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, then come follow me” (Matt.19:21).

There was a time when, if Jesus, a homeless carpenter and my Savior demanded that of me I would have gone there. The willingness was rewarded with a small, simple home in a place where I can do what I was called to do. How many of us would leave the comfort of our homes and the car or cars we own - to go where Jesus tells us to go? How many of us would travel to the other side of the state or country or world taking nothing with us but the clothes we are wearing? How many of us are prepared to be arrested and beaten or worse? How many of us would chose to be hated by those around us?    

As we continue our journey to the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter, let us consider the mission Christ has called us to – it’s about way more than money. It’s about picking up that heavy and painful cross, it’s about sacrificing our comfort to build a real relationship with someone, so that they can meet Jesus. It’s about the best relationships being built on love, trust and hard work.   

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the difficult lessons of life. Thank you for making it clear that following you and being obedient to Your call will not be easy, it will demand much of us – physically, emotionally, intellectually and yes even at times financially. You make it clear so we can choose if we are willing to go where you tell us to go and do what you ask us to do. I have no doubt Lord, that when the rich young man turned and walked away, that Your heart broke. He was told the cost and he wasn’t prepared to pay it. Grant us the strength, to go the distance with You. Help us daily to use our lives to reflect You to the world around us. In the name of Jesus, who makes it clear that it about more than money – Amen.